Any business cusotmer who has XCEL (and others I am sure) for their electric utility is entitled to the double dip, as explained in this brief presentation:

The folks over at Calfinder have written a great article debunking some of the comon myths about solar.

The myths they debunk:

#1 – Myth: Solar systems only work in really hot areas of the world

#2 – Myth: More pollution is generated manufacturing solar panels than can ever be offset by solar energy

#3 – Myth: Solar power is way too ridiculously expensive

#4 – Myth: Solar power cannot contribute enough energy to meet the nation’s needs

#5 – Myth: If covered with solar panels, the Sahara Desert could power all of Europe

#6 – Myth: Solar power systems are simply unreliable

#7 – Myth: You can create your own solar panel through DIY websites

Read Entire Solar Power Myths Debunked article here.

Colorado is a mecca for grid tied solar PV systems, due to a combination of high sun hours and large consumers of electricity.

“Denver has more sun days then San Diego,” says Richard McCracken, owner of Nth Degree Solar Energy in Grand Junction, Colorado. Nth Degree Energy has been installing solar systems in the Grand Valley for the last three years, and is seeing a significant increase in business.

The American Recovery and Renewal Act has set aside billions of dollars for renewable energy sources. “Between utility rebates and federal tax rebates, the price per kilowatt of solar energy is now less than the cost of building new coal plants,” Richard points out.

Government mandates directing utility companies to increase the amount of renewable energy they produce has meant higher than average payouts from the power companies themselves. XCEL Energy and Black Hills, the two major electric utility providers in Colorado are both paying up to $2.00 or more per watt for installation cost offset as well as another $1-2 per watt to purchase the green tags that go with the solar energy produced.

Residential customers with system under 10 kilowatss get a service called net metering. This means the electricity their solar system produces spins the meter backwards, and the power they consume spins forward. At the end of each month, quarter or year, the power company settles up with the customer. “Businesses that use more than 10K of power are really in the sweet spot,” torts Richard.

Many solar companies sell businesses on the higher payout from the utility company to reduce the initial cost, but those businesses that need solar systems in excess of 10 kilowatts have much better return on investment if they keep the green tags for themselves and sell the power back to the utility company. “We call it double dipping,” quips Richard. As the solar engineer for Nth Degree Solar Energy, he was instrumental in creating the business model to show that solar is an investment with great returns, not just a bunch of panels on the roof to offset costs.

“Some people buy solar because it is the right thing to do, but if it also makes solid business sense, then it is a no brainer.” With an ROI over 10% and a payback of less than 5 years, this is a sure bet against inflation and continually increasing price of electricity. Let’s face it; the risk is much lower than the stock market, and the returns are better than the long term average of stocks. Why would you not, as a businesman invest in solar energy?

For more information about grid tied solar electric PV systems or to get a quote for your business or home, you can contact Nth Degree Solar Energy at: http://NthDegreeEnergy.com/ or call 970-241-1376

If you are buying electricity from the power company, you are renting those watts, generally at a rate of 8 - 12 cents per watt hour used. If you are a business and consume large amounts of electricity, you generally also pay a demand charge or fee, based on your highest peak usage durng the billing month.

If you install an electric solar system, then you own the electricity being generated, and do not have to pay rent to consume it. For businesses in the right utility areas, not only do you own the electricity you get to use for free, but the power company will pay you rent on it as well!

So, one more advantage to installing a grid-tied photovoltaic solar energy system is that you go from being a renter of electricity to the owner of your electricity. Like your house, once the system is paid off, you own it and what it generated free and clear.

Solar panels can be one of two types:

• photo-voltaic modules that generate electricity
• thermal collectors used to heat water

PV Modules

Photo Voltaic (PV) modules (aka panels) are a packaging of an interconnected assemly of PV cells, also called solar cells. These cells are ganged together to create a higher voltage of direct current (DC).

Thermal Collectors

A solar thermal collector is designed specifically to generate and capture heat, generally in the form of air, or liquid, such as water, glycerin or alcohol.

Thermal collectors are generally used for heating space or water.

With all the hype of solar energy, you need to be away that there are good and not so good things about solar.

Let’s start out with the disadvantages, and get it over:

• It only works when the sun shines
• Generation is the easy part, storage is the hard part
• Power companies generally limit what you can connect to the grid
• If you buy today, you may miss the new technology of tomorrow

but enough doom and gloom, what are the advantages?

• Go Green
• Reduce your electricity costs
• Lock in your current rate for future power
• Get paid to install solar

These are just a couple advantages.